Did any of your readers face a fruitless search trying to purchase books of savers (for use on buses) towards the end of December?

I usually buy two or three books together and never had a problem with the availability before.

After trying about 10 shops only to be told each time "Sorry we have sold out", I decided to have one last attempt and headed for West Croydon bus station.

"Do you have any savers?" I asked the assistant. He went on to say there was no shortage and that other people had told him there were none in the shops.

He then told me that West Croydon bus station had supplied enormous amounts of books of savers to many local shops.

I must have looked a little bemused at this stage because he then said to me: "Didn't you know these savers were going up from £4.20 to £6 per book on January 1 and that shopkeepers were holding them back?"

"Good grief," I said. If this was the case and the famine of these savers was manmade might I make a suggestion to the powers that be, that any further yearly increases also includes a change of colour of the books, with the appropriate year clearly marked in bold print.

Josephine Ambrose
The Drive
Thornton Heath